Waymo recently received approval to broaden its self-driving taxi services in California beyond San Francisco, the Associated Press reported.
The California Public Utilities Commission gave permission to Waymo, a subsidiary of Google parent company Alphabet Inc., to extend its footprint to Los Angeles and the peninsula south of San Francisco.
The decision came March 1, allowing Waymo to enhance its autonomous vehicle presence, a service that has been a familiar sight in San Francisco streets but met with mixed reactions.
Cruise, a competing service owned by General Motors, faced a revocation of its license late last year following incidents deemed hazardous to public safety, including an episode in San Fransisco where a pedestrian was injured.
Waymo celebrated its approval as a "vote of confidence" in a post on X, calling the move a crucial step in deploying its commercial Waymo One service in the new areas.
However, not everyone is on board with the expansion. Local officials in San Mateo County and Los Angeles have expressed concerns, seeking more control over how robotaxis navigate their streets.
